Having been raised in poverty and through hard times, Bella Swan resents the wealthy who "have it easy". Edward Cullen is a rich arrogant man who thinks the world revolves around him. Can they convince each other otherwise? ExB All human. DISCONTINUED.

A/N:
Hello! It is I, Laura. For those of you who are not already readers
of mine, this is my second story. Please go ahead and check out my
other story, Shadow
of the Day, which
is also a Twilight fic.

So
please read and REVIEW!!! I LOVE REVIEWS! I FEED OFF THEM!!! So if
you're a reader of my other story, please review this one too, at
least just the first chapter. Now that I have two stories, I'm
afraid updates for Shadow
of the Day
will become a lot less frequent. Probably about once or twice a week.
I was going to finish that story first before beginning this one, but
since that one is no where near done yet, I couldn't wait any
longer.

Enough
with me, I hope you like this story!!! REVIEW!

Disclaimer:
I own nothing.

Life
ain't been no Crystal Stair

Prologue

From
the time we were all children, we've always been told that "Money
cannot buy true happiness".

As
lovely and corny as that sounds, it sure as hell doesn't stop us
from wanting
money.

Let
my teach you the two most basic rules of the fiscal world:

1.
Those who do not
have money, want it.

2.
Those who do
have money, want more.

Simple
as that.

We
live in an entirely material world. iPods, convertibles, designer
handbags, cell phones, diamond jewelry, and brand name clothes are
just a few of the pointless material items that none of us need, but
want. Despite the fact that this is a material world, I am definitely
not
a material girl.

I
never had much growing up. I was born from a cheap summer fling that
unfortunately ended in an unplanned teenage pregnancy. I grew up on
the wrong side of town with a mother who was hardly home since she
worked several different jobs. With so little parenting under your
belt, you tend to do stupid things. I've done my fair share of
stupid things. I probably would have done more stupid things if I had
the money.

See?
It all leads back to money.

Of
course, today, I have things I could have never bought with that
green stuff. Things I wouldn't trade anything for, not even my
life. Although… money could help us become happy. If My mother had
more money, she would have been able to raise me properly. I would
have been a normal, average kid.

But
do I really want that? I wear my scars, both the ones that you can
and can't see, with pride. They show hardship and perseverance –
and a daily reminder of where I've come from and why I'd never go
back.

So
I guess that in reality, money really cannot buy you true
happiness, but definitely helps.

Because
for me, Life
ain't been no Crystal Stair.

Chapter
1: Gunnin'

I placed my suitcase and duffel
bag by the door of Renee's small, old apartment. It used to be both
Renee's and my apartment, but I was leaving for good. Looking
around, you'd think I'd be nostalgic about the place I grew up,
but I was far from it. I wanted out, and I was finally getting it.

This
run-down apartment building was right squat in the middle of the
poorest, dumpiest end of Phoenix, Arizona. The slums if you will. I
was born and raised here, if you could even call Renee's parenting
raising.
It was more like sinking.
I knew I couldn't really blame her though. My father, Charlie, left
her when she was still pregnant. I never met him, and I never wanted
to. Being a single mom with zero support from her parents left her
little time for me since she needed to work so often. I understood
that.

What I did not understand,
however, was how she had so badly let herself go. I supposed all the
stress and sadness had burst out, causing her to act like this, she
didn't deserve what life had given her. But that didn't mean I
found her actions excusable.

I walked
up the stairs to Renee's room to say goodbye. Gently, I cracked
open her door and looked in. As usual, she was lying on her bed,
completely wasted. She only emerged from the bed to eat, use the
washroom, buy beer, or go to work.

She was awake, but barely. Her
cheeks were flushed and her eye pupils dilated from all the alcohol
in her system.

"Mom?" I said quietly,
gently shaking her shoulder.

"Uh…" she groaned,
squinting up at me. "Bella? What's up, baby?" she slurred.

"Mom, I'm leaving now."

She opened her eyes wider and
sat up. Her movements were jerky and uncoordinated. She looked at me
accursedly. "You're leaving? What do you mean by leaving?"

I sighed; I knew she'd be too
drunk to remember the conversation I had with her a week ago. I was
hoping this wouldn't be a messy goodbye, but of course, life never
gave me what I hoped for.

"I told you last week, Mom. I
said I was going to live with Rose in Chicago."

"So you're going to just
leave your poor mother here all by herself?"

"I asked you if you would
come with me on the condition you seek help. You said no."

Renee
moaned before slumping back on her bed. "Well, I don't need
help." She looked back at me angrily, "You just want to get away
from me. You're ashamed of me, aren't you? You just want to go
far away so you can forget about me!" She shot up again and
jerkily, but still quickly, slapped me across my left cheek.

I quickly
pushed back the tears that were building up in my eyes. Although the
slap stung, it wasn't what hurt me. Renee hardly got rough with me
and when she did, it was always when she was drunk. She wasn't
always like this; before, although she was hardly home, she was
kinder. It was only after she discovered I was doing stupid things a
few years ago did she start drinking excessively.

"Mom, this is why I'm
leaving this place. I can't stand it anymore and I don't want my
baby growing up like I did." I whispered the last part, my hand
drifting to my swollen belly. I was about 4 months pregnant, so I
definitely wasn't huge yet, but there was an evident swelling bump
under the daphne blouse I was wearing.

Renee was
surprisingly clear enough of mind to actually process what I had said
and looked genuinely hurt. "Fine," she said looking away from me,
"Leave. I don't care if I ever hear from you again or that
bastard child you have in you." Her words were cold and harsh, like
the crack of a whip. It would be a lie to say they didn't hurt. I
tried to tell myself she was only drunk.

"Bye,
Mom." I whispered before turning around and hurriedly leaving her
room. I grabbed my suitcase and duffel bag and almost raced out the
dingy apartment. Once outside the apartment building, I walked along
the sidewalk, getting one last look at my childhood before leaving it
for good.

The
cement and brick buildings were dirty, old, and vandalized with spray
paint. This was the "bad kid" neighbourhood where almost every
boy had been in a weapon or fist fight by the time he was sixteen and
every girl had lost their virginity (both willingly and unwillingly)
by fourteen. It was the worst of the slums. The dirtiest hell hole on
the planet, and it was so easy to get sucked into its madness.

I basically took care of myself
since Renee was always working. Even as a little kid, I fended for
myself. I had been in fist fights, threatened, robbed, and only wore
clothes from charity.

When I
was fifteen, a group of kids at our "bad kid" high school invited
me to hang with them. It was in that circle of "friends" where I
become addicted to alcohol and nicotine. I smoked and drank with them
almost everyday after school if not during school. It was a nice
escape from the sadness of what I was; a nobody. I wanted to start
doing serious drugs like cocaine and heroin, and would have if I was
able to afford it. I was already going broke buying beer and
cigarettes, so the other stuff wasn't a good idea.

In that circle of people, I met
Jacob Black. I really liked him. He was a cool guy and despite the
fact he was a druggy and gang member, he was sweet to me. He actually
had seemed like he was concerned when I told him about my lonely
childhood and non-existent father. What's more, he didn't pity me
since he was the same. I hated pity, and he didn't give me any. He
understood me. It wasn't long till we started dating and then one
thing led to another, and we slept together. More than once.

Then I found out I was
pregnant. I was seventeen, and would be eighteen by the time the baby
was born.

I had
basically become Renee.

But I thought things would be
different for me. I thought since I loved Jake and he loved me, he
would help me take care of the baby and love our child. I thought he
was that kind of man.

How wrong I was.

When I
told him, he got angry, very angry. He accused me of lying and
cheating on him, which I did not.
It seemed like his way of convincing himself that the baby wasn't
his and therefore he wouldn't have to take responsibility for it.
Jacob Black broke my heart the minute he told me to never contact him
again.

That's when I decided a
change of scenery was in order.

I was a bad kid, a broken kid,
a beaten kid.

But I wouldn't be anymore. It
was like the baby was my savior. It forced me to finally get my head
out of the clouds and back down to earth. I knew that if I wanted
this baby to be happy and survive, I would have to change.

So I quit
drinking and smoking. I hadn't taken a single drop of alcohol since
I found out I was pregnant although it almost killed me. There were
nights where I went into withdrawal, crying myself to sleep, the
desire and need for the alcohol was so huge. Quitting smoking wasn't
that much better. It actually took me much, much
longer to finally get myself together and put away the cigarettes for
good.

No one, of course, supported my
quitting. Even when they found out I was pregnant. Renee was too
drunk herself to notice I was sober. My only motivation was the
letters I would write to myself every day. They were more like little
notes I would write the night before I went to bed. I would put it on
my bed side table so it would be the first thing I see in the
morning.

Another
day Bells,

Make
sure you don't drink today, make sure you don't smoke. Be strong
and do it for the baby. Don't even think about it. You must stop.

I
know you can.

-
B

After
finally getting clean, the next step was to find an escape.

I didn't
know how to, though. It wasn't like I had the money to just
spontaneously leave. I had no family either. I had no idea in hell
about Charlie's side of the family, but I knew that all of Renee's
family had either separated themselves from her or had died.

I paced around for days. I had
no idea of what to do. I knew I needed to leave, but how?

An idea then struck me. It was
a long shot, but it was worth a try.

I
contacted Rosalie Hale, a girl who used to live in the slums with me.
She and I were best friends and probably the only ones with level
heads. She was tough and strong and always kept me out of trouble.
Her parents died in a car crash when she was fourteen and she went to
go live with an aunt and uncle she never knew. They lived in Chicago
and though they were not rich, they were pretty upper-middle class
citizens. I had cried so much when she left for I knew I would be
ruined without her to protect me. It wasn't long after that did I
get involved in the wrong crowds.

I hadn't contacted her since
she left and I didn't even know if she would remember me, at least
not the way I was now.

She actually did remember me
and was extremely giddy to say the least to finally here from me
after three years.

"Om. My. God! Bella!!!"
Rosalie screamed on the other end. I laughed at her.

"Hey, Rose. It's good to
talk to you again."

"I know. God, Bella, how
have you been?" she sounded genuinely curious and rather concerned,
and with good reason. I wasn't living in exactly the greatest
place.

"Um, I've been better",
I mumbled quietly.

"Bells, what made you call
me all of a sudden? I mean, I'm SO glad you did, but why now? After
all this time?"

I suddenly felt guilty for
asking her such a huge favour. I hadn't spoken to her or contacted
her in years and now I expected her to take me in? I was so selfish.

"Bella?" Oh, right. She
was talking to me.

"Um…"

"Bella, what happened?
Something happened, I can tell."

I took a deep, quivering
breath before finally answering, "Rose, I know this is a lot to ask
and that I don't deserve it, but do you think I can come stay with
you? In Chicago?"

"What? For how long?"

"Long enough for me to
find my own place there. I want to move there permanently."

"Why?"

I
shuddered. "I need to get out of here Rose. I can't stay here
anymore. If I do, I will be throwing away my life."

There was silence on the
other end for an immeasurable amount of time before finally, "Bella,
what's happened?"

"Just please. Can I please
stay with you? I'm not sure for how long, but until I can scrape
enough money to get myself an apartment."

"Of course you can. I have
to run it by my aunt and uncle, but they are both such kind people
that they'd never refuse helping an old friend."

"Really?"

"Yes, of course. I would
never say 'no', Bella."

Relief coursed through my
veins. I was getting a way out!

"Thank you", I breathed
"If you don't mind, I'll tell you why exactly I'm doing this
when I get to Chicago."

"… Fine."

So that
was my plan. I would go to Chicago to live. I would cut off all my
ties from the poor side of Phoenix and turn my back on that life
forever. I wanted Renee to come with me. I asked her if she would,
but only if she promised to get help for her alcohol addiction upon
getting there. Of course, alcohol was more important to her, so she
defiantly refused. I loved my mom, probably not nearly as much as a
daughter should, but Renee and I never bonded, so I loved her, but
not enough to not leave her there. It may have been cruel, but I
needed to think of my baby first.

*
* *

Getting out of customs, I
scanned the airport, looking for Rose. I remembered clearly what her
fourteen-year-old self looked like, so I just had to look for the
slightly older version of her, right?

I finally spotted her. I knew
it was her, it had to be. She was even taller than before and more
gorgeous, if that was even possible. She never looked more like a
supermodel like she did now, her wavy blonde hair cascading down her
back and her beautiful violet eyes looking around the airport for me.

"Rosalie!" I called. She
spun around and smiled a smile so wide and beautiful; it lit up the
whole airport.

"Bella!"
She cried happily, before running to me and hugging me fiercely. It
was only as she hugged me did she notice my swelling baby bump. She
quickly unlatched her arms upon feeling it and looked at my stomach,
her eyes wide. She look back at me and seemed at a loss for words. I
only smiled sheepishly.

"Oh…" she whispered
finally. "This is the reason you needed to get away?"

I nodded. "This baby was like
my wake-up call, Rose. I knew that I don't want him or her to end
up like me, so I decided to get out."

Rosalie smiled a teary smile
and hugged me again, softly this time, minding the baby.

"Well,
I'm glad you finally got enough sense to get out of that hell
hole." We started walking, her carrying my suitcase while I held my
duffel bag. "You'll love Chicago, Bells. It's so much better
than that other dump. Actually, anywhere is better, but Chicago will
be good for you. And for the… baby." She shook her head. "God,
I can't believe you're going to be a mom. Weird, huh?"

I heard
the very slight hint of envy in Rose's voice. She always loved
kids. Nevertheless, I knew she was happy for me and glad I left our
old town. She had been so considerate over the phone when we spoke to
each other. It was so easy, as if the three years of separation
didn't affect us at all.

The
Hales' house in Chicago was wonderful. Rosalie's aunt and uncle,
Heather and John, were the definition of kindness. They didn't even
get angry or judgmental when they saw I was pregnant. I guess that
with what Rosalie told them about me and where I used to live, they
simply saw me as a good girl in the wrong place.

Rose even had a nice cousin,
Jasper, who looked a lot like her; golden hair, pale skin, and deep
eyes, although his were blue. He was tall, lean, and very handsome.

I felt ugly surrounded by this
family of beautiful people. I always felt ugly around the goddess,
Rosalie, but she always had assured me I was very beautiful myself.

I was a
completely average girl; thick dark brown hair, bark brown eyes, and
pale skin. I was 5 ft 4" and 110 pounds. I wasn't actually ugly,
just normal.

Despite
my less-than-gorgeous looks, I couldn't help but hope that my baby
looked just like me. I didn't want a trace of Jacob Black in him or
her, even though that was probably impossible since he was the
father. I still didn't want him or her looking like him though. I
didn't want any reminder of my past, especially him. Now I had gone
past the heart break, when I thought of Jacob, I only felt anger.

"So, Bella. Why don't you
tell us your story?" Rose asked me kindly.

I gave them all a small smile.
They deserved to know, after all, they took me in even though they
didn't even know me.

So I told them. I let it all
out. By the end of my tale, Heather and Rose had tears in their eyes.
Not a single one looked shocked or angry. They were nothing but
understanding and comforting. What did I do to deserve such kindness?

5
months later

"ARGH!!!" I screamed, or
rather, shouted.

"Come on, Bells! You can do
it!" Rosalie encouraged as I tightly gripped her hand. My water had
broken 16 hours ago and I was giving birth. After nine months of
freaking hormones and 16 hours of freaking contractions, I wanted
this baby OUT!

Suddenly,
the door to the room I was in burst open as Jasper charged in. Over
the past 5 months Jasper had become like a big brother to me. He was
two years older and just as protective of me as he was Rosalie. He
was always such a calm person that it surprised me when he burst
through the door so frantically.

He froze
when he saw my legs spread out, the baby on the verge of coming out.
He obviously was extremely shocked by the view, and fainted on the
spot.

"Jasper, you IDIOT!" I
yelled at his unconscious body as someone dragged him out of the
room. Jeez, these raging hormones were seriously making me bitchy.
That, and the fact I was in freaking PAIN!

"Come on, Bella", Rose said
soothingly, brushing hair from my face.

Suuuure…
you just wait till you have a frickin baby, Rosalie Hale!

I was
still living with the Hales since Heather nearly went hysterical when
I said I should get my own apartment. She insisted that I was in no
condition, both physically and financially to support myself and the
baby. She was right, of course.

I didn't deserve such
warm-hearted people, and I couldn't be any more grateful to them.

"One last push!" Dr.
Hernandez said.

Gritting my teeth, I pushed,
screaming in the process. Couldn't babies come out of somewhere
less painful? I swear, I was not having anymore ki-

My
thoughts were interrupted by the wailing of a little baby. My baby.
Oh my God, that was my
baby.

Rosalie beamed at me as she
passed me a small pink bundle.

"It's a girl", she
whispered, her eyes teary.

I looked
down at the little thing in my arms and I felt tears course down my
cheeks. She was perfect. I gently touched the soft little cheek on
the little pink face wrapped in the blanket. My heart burst with love
at the mere sight of her. I was going to make sure
she would be given the best childhood ever. The childhood I never
had. I would fight to make sure she was happy and safe. She would be
a brilliant student and friend. She would learn to play piano and
soccer. She was my hope, my future. I was gunnin' on her.

"What are you going to name
her?" Rose asked quietly, her eyes glued to my little girl's
face.

"Marie", I said, kissing
her tiny nose. The corner of her mouth twitched upward. "See? It
fits and she likes it already."

After Marie was all cleaned up
I was moved to another room. The rest of the Hales were gathered
around my bed (Jasper having recovered form his fainting spell.
Snort.).

"Rose?" I asked.

Rosalie looked up from Marie
who was in her arms.

"Can
you… would… would you like to be Marie's godmother?" I asked
both nervously and hopefully.

Rose looked shocked, then her
eyes lit up. "Really?"

I nodded. "She even has your
name. Marie Rosalie Swan."

Rose beamed and hugged me,
careful not to squish my baby between us. "Thank you Bella. I'd
be honoured."

Grinning, I leaned over and
blew a raspberry right into her cheek. Laughing and squealing, Marie
pushed me away playfully.

"Okay,
Mommy. I'm up now" she said in her soft, little girl voice. Music
to my ears. I hugged her and kissed her cheek, before going to the
kitchen to make breakfast. Marie was able to dress herself in the
morning. She was just so cute that way.

Within a
few minutes, my little angel came out of her room in our two-bedroom
apartment and seated herself at the table to eat. She was adorable.
Unfortunately she had Jacob's black hair, but it was in curls,
something I suspected came from Charlie since Renee didn't have
them and I sure didn't. Everything else, though, was me. She had my
pale skin and big brown eyes. They looked so much more cute and
beautiful on her than me. With her pale skin, black curls, and baby
lips, Marie was so gorgeous.

"Ready
for school?" I asked. Marie was in Senior kindergarten at the
elementary school a few blocks away. I dropped her off to school
every morning on my way to work. I worked as a secretary at the large
Cullen Incorporation. A company that basically owned many stores,
restaurants, and other businesses. It started off small but grew into
an entire empire. I only worked as a lowly secretary on the sixth
floor of the huge building it resided in, although the job did pay
extremely well compared to other secretary positions.

My
co-worker, Angela told me a new co-owner was coming to fill the
larger empty office next to mine. That office had been empty since
the previous Hot shot was fired by the CEO of Cullen inc, Mr.
Carlisle Cullen. He was the son of the man who created the company
and inherited it from him.

"Yup"
Marie replied, taking a bite of her waffle. I smoothed Marie's
curls as I drank my coffee. I was so grateful for her. Sure, times
were a little rough with money since I didn't just have myself to
look after (I had two jobs), but I wouldn't trade Marie for the
world. She really was the reason that saved me from myself. From my
past.

Washing
the dishes, I took Marie's hand and went out to the car with her.
After strapping her into her car seat, I began on the familiar route
to her school.

Since I didn't get off work
until five, Rosalie, who worked much more flexible hours, picked up
Marie from school and looked after her till I was able to pick her up
from Rose's house.

My other
job was a small one. I worked at the local Starbucks every Saturday,
from 9 till 3. It wasn't a big job. Since I had been working there
every since Marie was born, I was given a raise from minimum wage, so
I was even paid a little more than the other newer employees. I only
worked there for extra cash for Marie's education and other
necessities. I would've probably needed a third job if Cullen inc.
didn't pay me so well. When Marie was born, I was able to gain
financial help from the government. With the borrowed money, I was
able to find a job and a small apartment to stay at with my daughter.
After I was off to a good start, I started supporting us on my own.
Heather and John wanted to help fiscally, but I refused. They had
already helped me enough.

Marie and
I had a good life. Of course, I had to be more conservative with
money than other mothers. I couldn't just go out and buy Marie a
toy because she wanted it. It would waste needed money. Nevertheless,
it was good. I was able to spend every evening and a full day on
Sunday with my baby. Unlike Renee, who was too busy working, I could
give her baths, read her bedtime stories, play with her at the park,
and take her to the zoo. At only twenty three years old, I was doing
well.

A year
after Marie was born, I took business classes at a community college,
landing me with the skills to be hired as a Cullen Inc. secretary.

I hadn't heard from Jacob
since I had left Phoenix. I wasn't sorry and I didn't miss him.
Marie never questioned me about her father, which was a relief. I
would probably tell her the truth once she was older.

I stopped
the car, a used one I bought cheaply off of Jasper since he got a new
one, at a red light. My window was open since it was a rather nice
day in the Windy City. I drummed my fingers against the steering
wheel, Marie was singing along to the High School Musical songs
coming from the stereo (my
5-year-old cousin loves
HSM).

Sounds of yelling came from
outside and I turned my head, curiously.

The door
to an expensive and new-ish looking condominium opened and a man
walked out. I didn't get a good look at his face, but I could see
he had sort of penny coloured hair, like bronze, all disarrayed and
messy. It actually looked attractive and cute. He was tall and pale,
but that was all I could make out. An older, scruffier man rushed out
after him.

The bronze-haired guy was
storming towards a silver Volvo. I suspected he was off to work since
he was wearing a suit.

"Please, Mister-"

"No!"
Even in his anger I was able to detect how his voice was like velvet…
musical. "I already told you. I wanted a jacuzzi in my condo, and
you gave me one without one. That annoys me to no end and shows me
what poor service you provide your residents! If I will now be living
here, I expect to get what I ask for!"

God, another rich spoiled brat.
Conceited, selfish, and arrogant. Working at a big company, I had met
many asses like him.

I always
resented the wealthy, ever since I was a child. Not the rich folk who
actually became loaded through hard work. No, I resented those born
rich. They basically had everything given to them. They were bottle
fed their whole lives, never having to work for what they want. It
wasn't fair and I resented them for it. What's more, because of
the easy handouts they got, they became spoiled and self-absorbed,
like the world revolved around them. It was ridiculous.

Especially this guy, who was
complaining he didn't have a jacuzzi?! Try going to the Slums of
Phoenix where I had spent the first 17 years of my life, then
complain.

"What's wrong Mommy?"
Marie asked. She was so observant, she could tell when I was upset.

"Nothing, baby." I said
smiling at her in the review mirror. And nothing was wrong, at least
not anymore.

How was I to know that that
"nothing" would soon turn into "everything"?

A/N: Whew! Hit or Miss?

That was the longest chapter
I've ever written so far, so please REVIEW!!! Let me know if this
story is good enough to continue :D

Peace
out.

The author would like to thank you for your continued support. Your review has been posted.